


nostalgic

by moonlight_fairytale



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, day 1 - maintenance, day 2 - ghosts, day 3 - masquerade ball, day 4 - roleswap, day 5 - teddy bear, day 6 - long distance/graduations, day 7 - wedding, except for day 6, i'm happy to inform you that they did end up fluffy like i wanted, should be mostly fluff, shumika week 2020, we don't talk about day 6, will update the tags along the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlight_fairytale/pseuds/moonlight_fairytale
Summary: Drabbles written for the shumika week 2020
Relationships: Itsuki Shuu/Kagehira Mika
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	1. Day 1 - Maintenance

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 – ~~Puppets/Dolls~~ ♥ **Maintenance**

It's overwhelming, overflowing with emotions. It's usually like that after performances, but today it was even stronger.

 _It's the new song_. New song meant new lyrics and a new routine. It also meant he has to pay more attention to his actions because it's the first time and he doesn't want to mess something up and have the wrong movement ingrained into his brain.

"Kagehira, sit properly." Shu was scolding him, and these words reminded him where he is. They were done with the performance and they were in the dressing room. The outfits they took off just a few minutes ago were already mostly folded, with the exception of a few items. These were in Shu's hold, soon to be organized too.

Up and down, left to right, and when it's done, it goes into the opened suitcase. Shu was always meticulous in a way that was very satisfying to watch.

Of course, it meant that Mika was uselessly sitting there, doing nothing. He would've offered to help, but God knows the times he's tried he just created more mess for Shu to take care of.

"Don't make me repeat my words, Kagehira." He didn't even lift his eyes from the pile of accessories. His utter focus on it was impressive, to be honest, and Mika tried his best to straighten his back. It was all too hard with how limp his body was, refusing to move as it should.

"Ugh, I'm almost done here, then we can return home and take a shower." He finally turned his head towards Mika. "I thought I told you to sit _properly_. That much you should be able to do, considering I didn't ask for anything else."

"No can do, Oshi-san, my body doesn't want to move." Even his speech was slightly drawn out.

"That bad?" Shu knitted his eyebrows with concern. Mika was getting quite good at keeping up with him in the last few months, so it was surprising to see him in this state. Like a throwback to the past when Mika's just joined Valkyrie and…

He ignored that thought and stepped closer to Mika. "Well, I suppose maintenance is in order, then."

After performance maintenances were the best in Mika's opinion. He allowed himself to close his eyes, waiting to Shu's actions. First, it was the feeling of Shu's fingers ghosting over his face, then they were combing through his hair and massaging his scalp. In the background, he could hear Shu's humming an old song, steady and calm, until he could finally feel his heartbeat slowing down.

It obviously can't be full maintenance. For this, they'd have to be at home, with the nice, big bathtub, and the bath salts, and the expensive lotions. Besides, it's been a while since the last time Mika actually needed complete maintenance.

"I need to speak to the stage manager before we leave, so I'll count on you to put the boots and the accessories into the suitcase, okay?" Shu told him.

Mika's first reaction was to pout a bit, but he quickly took hold of himself. He _did_ want to go home because he was not only sweaty, but also tired.

"Will ya spoil me a little bit more later, Oshi-san?" He tried to not sound so hopeful.

Shu studied him for a bit, probably assessing his condition, then leaned to kiss his forehead. "We'll have to see. After half an hour of performing, I'm afraid that I, too, am exhausted."

"Mhm, alrighty, Oshi-san." He stared at Shu's back as he walked to the door, a little thing still on his mind.

"Maybe…" He started when Shu was just at the door's sill, which caused him to stop and turn halfway. "Maybe I'll spoil ya, Oshi-san?"

Shu immediately grimaced and Mika giggled at that. "No – no need to. Just…leave the maintenance to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally found out about this three hours ago, but I really wanted to participate so here I go.  
> I work on three other Valkyrie/shumika fanfics and my original story right now too, so these drabbles would be pretty short. Apologizing in advance for that!


	2. Day 2 - Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - ~~Hurt/Comfort~~ ♥ **Ghosts**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m posting it using my phone, so sorry for any formatting issues! 
> 
> I interpreted this theme in a way that’ll with my my fluff agenda 😤✊

When Mika found a suspiciously cheap apartment to rent, he knew something was up. The landlord promised everything is fine - it was a bit old, but otherwise, everything should be working accordingly. The previous tenant, on the other hand, warned him that it was probably _haunted_ and that was the reason he was in such a hurry to leave. 

Which Mika didn’t mind at all. A haunted apartment? That actually sounded exciting! 

He didn’t realized how wrong he was. 

“Is that all you’re having for dinner? Just cake? No wonder you’re so malnourished.”

He didn’t think he was going to be judged by some ghost for all his bad habits!

“N-no! I’ll make somethin’ later!”

The ghost, whose name was Shu, as he learned in the hard way, simply stared at him. He knew that concerned look, it was because whatever Mika would cook evidently didn’t fit Shu’s palate. “It’s okay, that’s how I like it, a bit burned!”

“I don’t think it can be considered as food in that state.” Ouch. He definitely didn’t even reach Shu’s criteria for edible. 

“Is not like ya eat it or somethin’...” Mika mumbled to himself. 

“Pardon?” Of course he heard Mika. He had unbelievably sharp ears, after all, he just pretended he didn’t. 

“No~thin’.” Better to not get into an argument with the ghost that he’s sharing his apartment with. Might bring bad luck. 

“As I thought. Still, you ought to try _sophisticated_ food. Like the French cuisine…”

“Well, I can’t eat anythin’ too complicated because it’ll upset my stomach, yanno?” Mika shrugged. “And it’s not like I can make it. Yer dishes are prolly crazy hard, right?”

“Fair enough. I’ve seen you cook.” Shu flailed his arms in the way that always made Mika giggle. “I would’ve prepared it for you, but alas, my hands are completely useless now.”

 _Nnah,_ that was a sore subject for him, Mika knew. “Can’t eat it anyways, so ya don’t have to bother yerself.”

“I suppose…” Shu seemed to mull over something, most likely the past. He always talked about his life before, about how this entire property used to be a big mansion. Technically, it still was a mansion, just an apartment mansion. Why he’s decided to haunt Mika out of all the other people living there was beyond his understanding. Though Mika had an inkling Shu quite liked him more than he cared to show, despite his in harsh demeanor. 

“No matter. I do have a recipe, very simple. Even some one like you should be able to do it.”

“Uhh, right now?”

“Obviously. You haven’t eaten dinner - that cake doesn’t count - so you might as well make that for your dinner.”

Mika had a feeling nothing will go well with both him and Shu in the kitchen…

It _was_ one of those times he was right. His cooking skills were, after all, mediocre at best. 

Shu got frustrated with explaining the steps halfway through and tried to grab the items, which caused Mika to release them, out of instinct, and they fell on the floor. In addition to that, he failed in most of the steps, and then proceeded to burn the meal too, this time not on purpose. 

It still had a good taste. Maybe Shu was right and French cuisine could be nice. If it was adequately burned to Mika’s taste, that is. 


	3. Day 3 - Masquerade Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 – **Masquerade Ball** ♥ ~~Clockwork~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend, who's not even in this fandom, told me to write a Cinderella au for this prompt, so I decided to try this idea with my own little twist on it, and boy oh boy, did it became longer than expected.  
> I kinda missed a few days, because I lost the motivation to write anything in the last couple of days, but I really want to finish this week, so I forced myself to sit down and write the rest of the days in one day........

What an uneventful evening. Shu spent most of it sitting on his throne. There was the occasional brave person who would come asking him for a dance, but he refused most of them. Despite his insistence on having a grand ball for his birthday, he didn't have any intention to be stared at all evening as though he was some exotic animal.

Right at the height of the party, he's decided he had enough and now was a good time to get some fresh air at the balcony.

He didn't think someone else would also have the same idea.

Right at the edge of the balcony stood a young man with his back towards Shu. It seemed like he was holding the railings and staring at the night sky. He almost blended in, wearing a dark blue suit, but with a closer inspection, he could see that the fabric was sparkly.

 _Bold choice,_ and Shu himself was wearing a light pink jacket.

He cleared his throat, to inform the stranger he was no longer alone and was quickly faced with the young man.

"Ah!" He jolted as he turned around. Shu couldn't really tell his expression with the dark, simple mask covering the stranger's face, but it was evident he was startled by Shu.

"I hope you don't mind me here." Shu said, but only for the sake of politeness. Because, really, who will refuse the crown prince?

"N-not at all…" The stranger said, but still moved away from Shu, making sure to keep a distance.

That was a shame, Shu thought. He did seem to have an interesting taste in clothing, which Shu could appreciate. The fabric of the suit was truly captivating in the way the glitter shone under the moonlight. No use mulling over it, though. Many people were scared of speaking with Shu, not without a reason.

So Shu took what was previously the Stranger's place and enjoyed the slight breeze. It was the end of October and the weather was just getting colder with each day. What didn't help him relax, unfortunately, was the stranger to his right, fiddling with his sleeves.

"That's bad manners." Shu said harshly.

"I'm s-sorry." He spoke in a way that was strange to Shu's ears. He never heard that way of speech before, but there was no mistaking it. "Yer mask is just so…interesting."

"Interesting?" Shu raised his eyebrow, which the other couldn't possibly see, but his tone should suffice. His mask was magnificent, made by the best craftsman in this kingdom, for the sole purpose of shocking the masses who attended his birthday party. It surely couldn’t be _just_ interesting. "How so?"

"Well, it's so big 'n colorful?" It came out more as a question. What a bizarre way to describe a thing, he could've used better words when speaking with Shu. Unless he didn't realize whom was he speaking to. But that couldn't be right, his clothes were far too extravagant for a peasant. Although, it could explain his speech and non-existing manners.

"I suppose I should thank you for that. I did put a lot of effort into this idea and had the finest craftsman make it for me."

"Wah, that's real nice." He seemed genuinely impressed, which was what Shu was aiming for, so he didn't mind humoring him for a little longer. "But why would ya go that far?"

"To fit the theme, it was my own idea after all."

"So, ya planned this whole party?" Not the smartest, clearly, Shu thought that state would've made him figure out, but eh, well.

"The head planner, in fact."

"Ooh." The stranger was in awe. "I didn't realize ya were so important, but, uh, I guess that was pretty dumb of me. Yer dressed really fancy."

Shu chuckled and nodded. His ignorance was cute and, for once, it was actually nice to talk to someone who didn't picked his words carefully around him.

"Why are ya here then? I bet lotsa people there wanna talk to ya."

"It could be…" Shu thought of a good way to phrase himself. "Slightly suffocating being in such a big crowd for long times."

His Achilles' heel. He was the prime example of royalty, if it wasn't for this pesky thing that hindered him.

"I totally get ya." The stranger slumped back. "I wanted to go to a ball since I was little, but as soon as I got here, I just got so scared and ran to this balcony…"

"A thing we have in common then." Shu smiled. "May I have your name?"

"Ah! I didn't tell ya my name, I'm so sorry, didn't mean to be so rude!"

"It's fine, I didn't tell you mine either."

"R-right." He hesitated for a moment. "It's… Mika." His voice was so quiet, Shu would've not heard him if he didn't have such sharp ears.

"And I'm Shu." He ignored Mika's reaction and offered a handshake. He could now confirm that Mika, without a doubt, hadn't have the last clue as to who he was. It meant he wasn't a noble, even if the attire were misleading, but it was still odd to think that even a low life peasant wouldn't know the name of the royalty. Perhaps he was from another kingdom. Or it was possible he was that uneducated. "You did say you always wanted to attend a ball."

Mika nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah!"

"But staying in the balcony all evening doesn't exactly count as attending."

"Nnah…that's…not wrong…"

"How about we go back inside and dance for a bit?"

Mika jumped back. "I…uh…that's not a good idea. I'm not a good dancer…" He looked down immediately.

"That's hardly a problem. Just follow my lead and you'll be fine; I promise you that."

"I guess…yer right. It would be a waste to come all the way here…"

"Just as I said." Shu smiled and grabbed Mika's hand, to pull him to the ballroom before he could voice any regrets.

He usually dreaded putting himself into large social events, and once he's removed himself from them, it was hard to return, since he's lost all will when his feet stepped out of the room, but with the feeling of purpose, it wasn't as horrible as he remembered. It helped that most people didn't recognize him the moment he returned, due to his mask. He'll have to praise himself later for that idea, even if when he thought about it, he was more focused on the aesthetic and alluring idea of having one's face covered.

He led Mika through the crowd and chose a place where there weren't many people, for the sake of both of them.

"Put your left hand on my shoulder." After Mika did as he was told, Shu took a hold of his right hand and put his right on Mika's side. "We'll start with the basic moves. Follow me and try to not step on my feet, but don't look at the floor too much."

Mika made a confused noise in response to that. But Shu didn't pay any mind to that and started dancing.

After a few minutes of repeating the box step, Shu realized Mika wasn't jesting. He was positively terrible at dancing. It might also have to do with the fact that Shu wasn't as concentrated on the dance as he wished he would. In the light of the ballroom, he could finally see Mika, with his unruly, dark hair, despite what seemed to be his best effort to fix it for tonight. And, through the mask, his eyes, one in the color of lapis lazuli and the other was amber. He never saw someone with mismatched eyes before and was more distracted by that than he'd like to admit.

Fascinating and odd at the same time. _Who was this person?_ Shu wondered. He lost count of the counting he's started, relying on his intuition and years of practice in dancing while taking advantage of the position to stare at Mika. The poor thing was all too busy keeping up with Shu, he didn't even notice how Shu was staring at him.

He was so focused on Mika's face, he missed the clock ringing, signaling that it was almost midnight. Not that he should've cared, the party was far from its ending, but Mika did. He pulled his hands from Shu's shoulder and hand and took a few steps back.

"I didn't notice that it was gettin' this late…I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

Shu didn't have time to protest, as Mika ran fast to the front door.

The morning afterward, he sat down for late breakfast with one of his guards.

"The person you were dancin' with yesterday, who was that?" Kiryu asked. "Never saw him before…"

"He wore a mask." Shu was curt as usual.

"Doesn't matter. I know all the nobles here and I'm sure he wasn't one 'em."

"He's not a noble." Shu stopped to take a bite and then proceeded to ask. "What do you think about you?"

"That he's a terrible dancer and must be very special if you were willing to dance with him after he stepped on your feet three times in three minutes. Must be new record, a stepping per minute." He smiled. "Do you know him?"

Shu shook his head. "I first met him last night."

"That charming?"

"The exact opposite, but it is charming in its own way."

"Ah, I don't really understand you…" Kiryu scratched the back of his head. "But if you don't know him, then you're not goin' to meet again, with how he left last night."

"We'll look for him. That's why I have you here today."

"How the hell will I do that? You just said he wore a mask."

"Ah ah." Shu pointed with his fork. "A mask is hardly covering anything. Don't forget you're talking with _me_. I know his height and body build; it shouldn't be difficult to find him with that information."

He'll tell Kiryu about the mismatched eyes later, when they won't be around that many maids. For now, he was set on finishing his breakfast and resting for the days. His feet _did_ hurt after all the awful dancing he had last night.


	4. Day 4 - Roleswap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 - ~~Hanahaki~~ ♥ **Roleswap**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit on the shorter side (especially compared to the previous one), but eh, it is what it is.  
> Last Lament is my favorite song btw, and seeing the mv made me so happy (even though I already had my own choreography by then, so now I have mine and the canon one combined in my head lol).

When Shu planned the choreography, he didn't mean it to turn out _this_ way.

This song – Last Lament – it was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be the new Valkyrie, where he wished to appreciate Mika more, as an artist, as a person, as his partner. He didn't want to pull any strings, he wanted Mika to dance freely, to sing proudly about the long way they've overcome as a unit. The effort they put into this song, both of them.

Yet at the moment he sang the first part, his lines, there was something different from practices. It's never happened before, Mika didn't seem to notice it as well, and perhaps it was the effect of performing in front of a large crowd, but the moment he sang his third line, _Like as though nothing at all occurred,_ he felt Mika pulling him from behind. It was planned – in the choreography, as he did two months ago, for Mika to do this movement, but the difference was that he could actually _feel_ Mika pulling him. As though Mika himself was holding the strings just for this moment.

It made him falter for a second, ruining his perfect performance and probably causing Mika confusion over what's happening, but he quickly regained his control and continued to dance.

 _Such an odd feeling_ , he pondered to himself after the live ended, and on the way back home, and in his bed. Was that how Mika feeling whenever they performed their other songs?

However, the thing he has considered a fluke happened over and over again. If anything, the more they performed it during lives, the stronger this feeling grew, to the point where Shu felt Mika behind him, directing him to move his body. He felt like he was going crazy, suddenly every line in his part revolved around Mika pulling the strings, and it only happened during those times, never in training. Though, it was addicting in some way, wherein part of the song he was pulled and pushed, but for the rest of it, they were on equal ground.

Mentioning it to Mika wouldn't help, he knew. Oftentimes, Mika was too immersed in performing, the adrenaline dulling the feelings, normally it would be the anxiety of standing on stage. In the past, he was expected to be a perfect doll for Shu, halt all thinking when he danced and simply follow the strings, but as of lately, they wished to get rid of that. They wanted to create a different Valkyrie. He didn't think the strings that once attached Mika to him would reverse. He was no doll of course, too opinionated for that, but the potential Mika had proved to be bigger than he'd expected. The fact that he was shaping to be an artist through and through made Shu so proud of him, even if he did so unconsciously. He just had to give him another small push, he knew it, that was all Mika needed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 - **Teddy** **Bear** ♥ ~~Café~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What am I even writing at this point? Only God knows...

He couldn't believe he was doing it. Letting Mika have his obsession with plushies, collecting so many of them and giving each a unique name, was one, but this? He didn't wish to get involved in _this_.

Sure, he might've won a few of those prizes plushies from the machines and gave them to Mika, but it was purely because he didn't have anything to do with it. And he may remember the names of all the plushies, but it was due to manners. Mika did remember his dolls' names, so he thought he might as well. Alright, he may be more attached to it than he thought, but he never said he'd fixed them! He had enough sewing project already, thanks to a certain unit deciding to change their entire concept and uniform, as a result.

"How did that happen?" The poor plushie, a white teddy bear, was torn in half, most of it filling was missing, in addition to its' left arm and leg.

"It was…" Mika was half crying. "Naru-chan's cat! She was playin' nicely, and then she pulled her claws!"

Looking back at the plushie, this was certainly above Mika's abilities. He could fix a missing limb, but the tear was impossible for him to mend without making the stitch visible. Not that Shu was an expert, this was synthetic faux fur which he normally hated to use, but he probably did have a better chance at fixing it while still making it look decent.

"And…and…it's one of the bears Oshi-san got me!" Mika was crying louder now. Ah, that explained why he was so frantic. He was yet to understand why Mika treasured them so much, with a growing collection of forty teddy bear by now, surely, he wouldn't miss one of them. Although it was nice he took care of his stuff, but that was a given, considering his past.

"Fine, cease your crying." He waited for Mika to wipe his tears, with the sleeve of all things, which Shu cringed over, but he didn't the energy to reprimand him. He had a long day and that damned plushie was the only thing separating him from his bed. "We'll have it fixed now. Let's go to my room."

Normally, Mika didn't care for the overall look of his plushies. He'll have limbs in different colors attached to some, and there were even hybrids of different species. Shu didn't care about it that much, but if he's going to be the one who's doing the fixing, he'll have to use a fabric that'll have some resemblance, at least in the color.

Looking through his drawers, it was as he feared, he didn't have this type of fabric. He usually didn't use it, it was unpractical for costume making, with how itchy and thick it tended to be, thus making it too hard to perform in. It also didn't fit with Valkyrie's aesthetic, not with all the belts and leather, and not with the aesthetic of other units he'd sewn for.

"Kagehira, I can't find the right – " He started, but Mika beat him off to that.

"We can use this!"

Shu scrunched up his nose. "That's _brown_."

"It's alright! I don't mind. His eyes are different too." Mika pointed at the bear's face. Now that Shu took a look at it, it _was_ different. It was hard to recognize the plushie in its bad state, but Shu remembered it had two black beads for its eyes when he'd gotten it. Currently, one of them was a big blue bead and the other was a small bead, with a light shade of blue.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know how that happened. The bear can't be perfect anyhow and if Mika insisted on the brown acrylic fabric, he might as well use it.

"You'll make the arm and the leg. I'll fix the tear." He may make it sound like a task delegation, but truth be told, he wasn't confident in his plushie's arm's making abilities. It's not a thing he did often, which Mika _did_ , so it was a good idea to leave that for him to do, instead of trying to figure out the pattern.

"Alright, Oshi-san!" It was good to see that he at least stopped crying and started working.

After twenty minutes or so, it was complete. Mika returned to his bed, all too happy, holding his bear tight, with the clear intention of sleeping with it. Shu had to admit, if it were any other plushie, he would've deemed the result hideous. But for some reason, when it came to Mika's plushies, it simply looked charming.


	6. Day 6 - Long Distance/Graduations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - **Long Distance ♥ Graduations**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this was is plainly weird because I wrote it when I was really sleepy (like 3am sleepy, sorry,,,).  
> These two themes are tied together imo, so I kinda used both of them. I already wrote a fanfic about this idea so it was hard to try writing someothing completely new, another reason to why it's weird lol.

It's bitter and sweet at the same time. Mika couldn't imagine a new school year without Shu, it has been his everyday routine for the last couple of years. Having Shu wake him up at mornings, cook breakfast and pack lunch for later, going to school together, having a practice before lessons…

It was these mundane things he hadn't realize he missed so much. Whenever he felt bad, he could just go to Shu, have him do maintenance on him, and everything got better. Whatever he wasn't able to do on his own, whether it was sewing or dancing, or even homework, the first person he'd turn to was Shu.

He knew it wasn't the healthiest to rely on one person so much, but his departure was so sudden. He was there for an entire month after graduating, making sure Mika was settling down in the new dorms, then he had his flight booked earlier than Mika's expected, because he wanted to check the apartment he'd rented.

Honestly, it was times like these that made Mika feel like a big baby. Shu was out there, on his own, in a different country, which language he didn't speak well, and he wasn't texting every half an hour.

No, it was just Mika being useless like usual. He wanted to become an adult too, to make Shu proud of him, but it felt like a thing he couldn't accomplish.

There were days Shu regret moving to France. He loved the country, the culture, the language…but it was different from home, and no amount of preparation could truly prepare him to this, as much as he wished.

He was most bothered by the fact that he was sure he could handle being alone. He thought he was alone in Japan, but that was a foolish thought. He obviously had his friends, as odd as they were, and his classmates, even he didn't wish to be associated with some of them, and he had Mika. Mika who followed him like a lost puppy, too attached, and at the same time, still had abandonment issues. He never was alone back then, and it made the loneliness harder to swallow.

He wasn't just a foreign here, he was powerless too. Pathetic, honestly, if anyone were here to see him…it's good thing they weren't. if there was one thing he was confident about, it was his ability to raise his head no matter what the situation was.

He'll get used to it. It's hard now, but it'll get better. It's all words he's told Mika, but he wasn't sure if they were for Mika's comfort only at this point.

On Shu's first trip back to Japan, only three months have passed, but it felt like a lifetime. They spent the entire evening on Shu's bed, catching up, and when they longer have any more words to say, they hug. They hugged in the airport too, of course, but this one, Mika was more reluctant to release. They fell asleep like that, in each other's arms.

Being apart for so long was enlightening in some way. Pretty silly, in Shu's opinion, they've lived most of their life without the other, but for some reason, Mika's become a prominent thing in his life. There was the need to talk to each other face to face, being able to see the reaction in real-time and not through a screen, and there was the need to touch, because when you're far away, you can't have things like that.

Saying goodbye again should hurt just as much as the first time, Mika thought to himself when seeing Shu off the airport, but strangely enough, it didn't. Logically, he knew there was no event planned for them, so there was no excuse for Shu to come back at the middle of his semester, but he didn't care. These last few days made him confident in himself and understand that even if Shu was far away, he can manage on his own, even though he missed him so much. It was only temporary and – frankly – it might be better for both of them.

It was his last year in high school. He, too, will graduate soon.

After Shu returned to his apartment in France, it felt more like home. He did bring a few small decorations from Japan and had a renovation in one of the nights he couldn't study, but it probably had more to do with the little patched teddy bear on his windowsill.


	7. Day 7 - Day 7 – Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 - **Wedding** ♥ ~~Royalty~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually a fanfic I've started a couple of months ago, but never had the time to finish it, so I figured I could use the shumika week as an excuse to finish it.

On one peaceful March evening, Mika headed to his favorite café, to meet up with Arashi. Despite their best efforts, arranging a meeting was proving to be difficult, as their scheduled were packed. More so now with Mika's personal life getting even busier as of lately.

"So," Arashi wasted no time. Once they had their orders taken and confirmed no one was in sight, she asked. "When's the wedding? Do I need to hunt for a dress already?"

"Nah, ya don't have t'do that. I'll make yer dress!" Mika hurried to answer. Nowadays, he was much more confident in his sewing abilities, after years of practice. "And it'll be in April."

"But it's your own wedding! You're already making your suits, right? You can't make my dress too – " Arashi stopped, after realizing something very important. "Mika-chan, please tell me it's not next month…"

"Of course not! April next year! Next month is impossible, ya know how Oshi-san is with makin' sure everythin' is perfect."

"Oh, thank goodness." She sighed. "Well, I should've guessed your wedding planning will take a year at least…"

"Yeah, Oshi-san is still considerin' themes." Mika smiled sheepishly.

"When will you ever stop with that silly nickname, Mika-chan? You've been dating for, how long? Four years? And you're getting married while still calling him that?"

"Yep! It's a habit and I'm never goin' to stop!"

"And you're sure your future husband is okay with it?" Arashi was just teasing him at this point, but Mika's face still reddened at the words _future husband_ , it all seemed too unrealistic.

"Alrighty, maybe I shouldn't…"

"Definitely! You should always listen to me!" Arashi had that sly smile. "Which is why you should also listen to _my_ suggestions too. I've been reading some magazines lately…"

"Jeez, I wonder why ya have been doin' that." Mika rolled his eyes but still listened.

A year is a lot to plan a wedding, but even so, with someone like Shu, a year seemed shorter than expected. He had lists of possible themes for the wedding, then went around to check which venues could handle his ideas, and that was before he searched for a wedding planner, which he fired because she couldn't work with Shu's uh…personality. A nice way to say he was simply overbearing.

She just didn't get how important that was for Shu. A wedding, the pinnacle of romance, and for someone like him, who absolutely loved the French culture, he wanted to have to perfect wedding.

Of course, Mika supported him in every step of the process. Mika's ideals of a wedding were tad different, so he didn't mind Shu going ahead and deciding things, as long as it made Shu happy, though Shu didn't consult him a lot. The problem was that Mika didn't want Shu to do everything on his own, even if these were his ideas, even if he insisted, as it was clearly taking a toll on him.

The first instance was when they were in their bed, past midnight. They had a long day at work, and even longer day at home, with Shu's over organizing all his lists and Mika try to stop him from micromanaging, and now they were supposed to sleep. Mika was, in fact, sleeping, as he usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. But he was a light sleeper and immediately woke up when he heard noises to his left.

"Wha – " He rubbed his eyes, turning to see the night lamp turned on, and Shu flipping through a notebook hastily. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

"I just…wanted to check something. It's not important, you can go back to sleep."

No way he could do that.

"O~shi-san, it's already…" He took a quick look at the clock. It took him some time to decipher the hour since his brain couldn't translate roman numerals into actual numbers at - "Two AM? C'mon, ya know we have to wake up early tomorrow. Like, six AM early."

"I know, I know. That's why I told you to go back to bed." Shu didn't even raise his head from the notebook. Mika had to raise from his position to grab Shu's hands with his.

"Nah, just tell me. What is that ya lookin' for?"

"The…" Shu halted for a minute. "Don't laugh, but the color of the napkins."

Mika tried his best to not burst into a laugh. "Ya serious? I thought we agreed on wine red, like Valkyrie's theme color."

"But, what if it's not the right one – "

"Oshi-san, please, the color of the napkins is the last thin' ya need to worry about."

"Right." Shu returned the notebook into the drawer. "I'm sorry. It really bothered me…"

"Will it help if I say I like it a lot?"

But that wasn't the last time it's happened. From the color of the napkins to the design of the venue, to even the whole concept of the theme. He chose one thing and deem it the worst idea.

"I'm real sorry you had to come here…" Mika said to Arashi, his hands full of fabrics. "I know ya wanted to go out to that new restaurant."

"It's already, sweetie." Arashi reassured him. "Ritsu-chan is much happier to drool on your table here."

They both looked at Ritsu, who found his solace resting on a pile of leftover fabrics. Truth be told, Mika was concerned whether it was comfortable to sleep on a scratchy sequin fabric.

"But us aside, are you really sure you're okay? Managing with the whole wedding in three more months?"

"Well…" There was a lot to unpack here. "Kinda? Here, take a seat, Naru-chan." He pointed at the chair next to his mannequin.

He felt bad turning his back to his friend and working on a project while speaking to her, but he really was loaded with tasks to finish. "It stresses him a lot so I – " Speaking while working was really working the limits of his brain capacity. "I told him I'll take the big tasks."

"Like what?"

"The suits and the hall's design. That's what I've been workin' on the last few days, actually."

"But won't it put _you_ under pressure? Not to be mean or anything, but I'm worried about you, Mika-chan, seeing firsthand how these situations can cause you anxiety."

"So ya know how Oshi-san is worse than me…I know I can't make him stop worryin' about all the small little details, so I figured I can do the rest."

"You're marrying a control freak." Ritsu said with a sleepy voice, the only contribution he was willing to add to this conversation, then resumed his nap.

"Just…take care of yourself." Arashi said with a worried expression. "It's supposed to be a happy day for both of you."

That was actually a good line, what Arashi said there, so Mika used it the next time Shu had a crisis because he suddenly didn't like the color gold anymore.

"That's…" He furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing that. "Not wrong, but…"

"Exactly, so ya don't have to have everythin' perfect!" Mika honestly thought he was reaching some conclusion there. Anything for the sake of sleeping more than five hours a night.

"What do you think, Mika?" Shu asked.

"Huh?" He didn't understand what Shu was asking. "Whaddaya mean?"

"About this whole wedding idea. You keep saying you're fine with my ideas, but is it really the case?"

"Well, yeah, I don't mind a big wedding if that ya want."

"That's _not_ what I was asking."

Mika had to take a moment to consider. "I mean, I never thought about it too much. I always saw the weddings in the movies, but that's all I know…"

It was quiet for a few moments, until Mika spoke up again. "I probably got used to Valkyrie havin' grand events, but it doesn't have to be like that for our personal lives, right?"

Shu's face softened at that. "Then what do you suggest?"

"If ya want to be super romantic, then maybe…"

"So, are you just postponing it?" He tried to balance the phone on his shoulder, so he'll still be able to hear Arashi while working on this cursed blouse. "Until when?"

"Dunno. We just realized that we have too much pressure on us without havin' to plan it. Especially with the fashion show in Paris…"

"That's a shame, but I guess it's for the best. No use in getting married if you're going to argue over the right way to do things."

"Exactly – owie." Goodness, this blouse _was_ cursed. Either that, or he should stop working in a dimmed studio.

"Mika-chan?"

"Everythin' is fine, just stabbed myself."

"Hopefully with a pin and not with a knife."

"Nah, ya know I can't cook for shit. I leave that sorta thing to Oshi-san."

"At least you're as happy together as ever. You don't have to marry for that." Both him and Arashi giggled. "I can't wait until you come back to Japan, though! Ritsu-chan and Mao-chan too!"

"Can't wait either, I already miss ya so much!"

"Well, I won't take any more of your time. I'm sure that you need your full concentration for whatever you're working on, so you won't stab yourself again because of me."

"Nn, thanks, Naru-chan. I'll call ya later." He hanged up and looked at the flashing screen with Arashi's name with affection. She'll probably freak out when he returns to Japan and tells here.

She can't blame him, though. He stared at his ring finger with a smile creeping on. Eloping is so much more romantic, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this! This is the first time I've written something so long, even if these are unrelated drabbles. Hopefully you enjoyed it and that I can post my other shumika fanfics soon <3


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